Write for Real

Have you got something to say about your classic bike? Would you like to see your Pride and Joy preserved on the printed page or exhibited for all to admire online? Here’s how to claim your 15 minutes of fame. Get that keyboard clattering and write for RealClassic...

WE WANT TO PUBLISH more stories about real life classic bikes. You don’t need to be an inspired writer to see your story in RealClassic, but you do need to say something relevant. We like profiles about a single model (or maybe two very similar ones; a pair of Triumph twins, for example), which should be at least 500 words in length. Most magazine features are between 1000 and 2500 words. If your story is longer than that then it’s heading towards being a series (or a book!). If your thoughts run to under 500 words then they’ll probably appear in the letters section.

Got one of these? Tell us about it.

TO SEE WHAT WE MEAN look in recent magazines at Oily Boot Bob’s Crusader stories, the Velo MAC or Norton Big4 articles in RC142. These are just what RC readers are keen to read.

THERE’S NO NEED TO WORRY about your writing, grammar or punctuation; we’ll make sure that your article reads the right way. Just concentrate on telling a good story and we’ll do the rest.

We don't just do Brit Bikes.

INCLUDE AS MUCH INFO as you can. Tell the RC readers exactly what model your classic bike is, when it was built, and as much of its history as you can. There’s no such thing as too much information. What condition was it in you bought it? What mods have you made? How well has it performed? Did you rebuild it from a box of bits? Has it won an award? Have you ridden it across the country? Does it sit in your shed and gleam quietly and make you very, very happy? What’s it like to ride? How does it compare to other, similar classics you’ve ridden? Whatever your classic bike means to you, it’ll be of interest to other old bike enthusiasts.

NOW'S YOUR CHANCE to share your experiences with other owners and prospective purchasers. Have you discovered a secret supplier of exactly the right bolt, nut, washer, rivet, fastener, screw, pin, plug, spacer, shim, bearing, bush or cog? Can you make your Triumph oil-tight? Does your Commando start on the button? Or did you make a ghastly mistake, and can you save someone else from a similar experience by admitting all?

DON’T FORGET to mention top suppliers and any unsung heroes who have helped you. This is where you can give the good guys the credit they deserve.

Know what this feels like? Share the experience.

WHAT WE NEED is your story as a Word document or in plain text form, plus a bunch of photos so that everyone can see what you’re talking about. We need at least dozen photos (20+ is better) for the magazine, or at least half a dozen for an online feature. They need to be taken against a clear background, and showing the bike from several different angles. Make sure the bike is in the light, and not in the shadows. Try and position the bike so that there's nothing distracting in the background (neighbours sunbathing in the nude, bright yellow Ford Transits, that sort of thing) and make sure you get all of it in the frame; we can crop the picture to fit later if needs be.

Crop the scene, not the bike. The pic on the right works better because the policemen have heads...

If you're taking pictures at a show life can be a bit trickier, but you can use the situation to your advantage. If a crowd of people are staring at a motorcycle you want to photograph, why not include them in the picture. It'll make the bike look more interesting as the viewer will want to know what everyone was staring at, and it'll make a much better shot than if you end up with lots of disembodied arms and legs in the background.

We can use old-fashioned photos, or digital jpgs. For website stories, anything around 500kb to 2MB does the trick. For the magazine we need pics as big as you can manage – anything from 1MB to 5MB. Generally, the bigger they are then the better your bike looks in print. It’s now pretty easy to send big pics on a USB or share them online.

If you're taking pictures at a show life can be a bit trickier, but you can use the situation to your advantage. If a crowd of people are staring at a motorcycle you want to photograph, why not include them in the picture. It'll make the bike look more interesting as the viewer will want to know what everyone was staring at, and it'll make a much better shot than if you end up with lots of disembodied arms and legs in the background.

WHAT YOU GET FOR YOUR EFFORTS: we can’t promise a fortune, more’s the pity, but we will reward your efforts with complimentary copies of the magazine if your story gets in to print, an extended subscription, and an extra ‘something special’ to say thanks. Plus, of course, you have your 15 minutes of fame…

Don't sit staring at this page - start writing!

SO GET WRITING! SO GET WRITING! Send your stories to RCHQ at RealClassic.net or if you’d like us to scan and return your photos, or are sending a USB/disc, then post it to: RealClassic, PO Box 66, Bude, EX23 9ZX

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